LAST year Crewe Women’s Aid (CWA) accommodated and supported more than 326 women and children who were the victims of horrific domestic violence.

Now, because Cheshire East has awarded the contract to a new provider – North Staffordshire-based Arch – the CWA has just eight weeks to vacate the hostel.

Saskia Ritchie, who has recently been appointed manager of CWA, said: “From April 1 the contract is no longer ours. We’ve lost £330,000 a year in funding, although we have been given an additional eight week short-term contract until we quit the refuge.”

Although the Crewe refuge will be taken over by Arch, the women and children currently living there say they want to stay with CWA.

Louise, whose name has been changed for her own safety after her partner beat her up before dousing her in petrol and standing over her with a lighter, explained why.

“I’ve been here since the beginning of February and these people have helped me so much.

“It takes a long time to trust people when something likes this happens. I felt really insecure when I came in here.

“We all have key workers who we trust and can talk to. We rely on them.”

She said it would be almost impossible to establish that kind of relationship and trust with another worker – especially in a short space of time.

Saskia claims CWA was put at a disadvantage by Cheshire East in the tendering process and lost out in favour of larger organisations.

“One of the problems we faced was that Cheshire East was also expecting the new provider to include services for men,” she said. “Our service is women-only for a reason. Only 5% of domestic abuse cases are men and there are specialist services available for them. We always put men in touch with the appropriate people if they contact us.

“For women who have been terribly abused by men to then have to face men is often too much.

“Many would put the phone down when they needed help if a man answered the phone.”

Louise added: “It’s not acceptable for women who have been abused by men and move into a refuge to have to face men.

“Similarly, if a man has been abused by a woman, he probably wouldn’t want to be with women.”

Carol, a former resident at the Crewe refuge who was helped by CWA, said: “I left my husband in fear for my life and the lives of my children. It took a long time before I was confident enough to talk to a man again.

“I knew that whenever I rang my key worker, the phone would be answered by a woman. I’m not sure if that is true of the new service.

“My children and I are now safe and I’m working. But without CWA I don’t think we’d have got to this point.”

Battered wife tells why Crewe Women’s Aid is vital for families

LOUISE still bears the physical scars of the attack she was subjected to by her ex-partner nearly three months ago.

The emotional scars may take years to heal.

“When I arrived here at the beginning of February I had a fractured eye socket, fractured cheekbone, dislocated shoulder and he’d knocked out 11 teeth,” she said. “He’d also doused me in petrol and threatened to set me alight.

“When I escaped he chased me through the fields with a chainsaw.”

Louise’s ‘crime’?

“We’d been together for 12 months and I’d decided it was over,” she said.

Louise’s story is typical of many of the women in the refuge.

Unlike many of the others, this was the only time her ex-partner had ever been violent.

“It wasn’t a violent relationship until then although he was very controlling,” she said.

“I couldn’t wear make-up, he told me what to wear and if I wasn’t in at a particular time he needed to know where I was. I just thought he was insecure.”

The horrific attack came after Louise and her partner had attended a meal with her family.

She told him when they arrived home that she wanted to end the relationship.

“The facial injuries were caused when he hit me in the face with a pressure cooker,” she said. “I’m still waiting for an operation on my eye but they can’t do it yet because there’s problems.”

Before the attack Louise had a good job and earned good money.

She has been forced to give all that up because she genuinely believes if her ex finds her he will kill her.

“When I arrived at the refuge I was very, very nervous, timid,” she said. “The other women and staff helped me a lot.

“When I got here I felt really insecure. This now is my safe haven. The staff will help you at any time. They sort out counselling, they help with everything.”

Like the other women now living at the Crewe refuge – many of them with young children – Louise says she feels ‘desperately let down’ by Cheshire East’s decision not to help fund the CWA.

“We were just items and they could deal with them later,” she said. “We are only numbers to them.”

Louise will not be staying when the refuge is taken over by Arch North Staffs.

“I’m going with CWA – but I’m not sure what will happen,” she said. “It’s important to keep the relationship you have with your key worker.”

Name has been changed to protect identity.

Crewe Women’s Aid chairman says Cheshire East made no attempt to understand how charity operates

THE chairman of trustees at Crewe Women’s Aid has accused Cheshire East Council of making no attempt to understand how the charity operates and of not talking to the women who will be affected.

Deborah Darnes said for the past 10 years the main funding for the service has been the supporting grant provided by the government through the local council.

The system was intended by the previous government to ensure existing providers had secure funding.

But she said changes this year are due to Cheshire East putting out the contract to tender.

“The service that we provide has recently passed an audit with flying colours,” said Mrs Darnes.

“Cheshire East has made no attempt to understand how we operate or made any attempt to consult with us or our service users. They thought that whoever won the tender would just be able to move in and take over our organisation, but we are an independent registered charity.”

CWA has appealed against the council’s decision to withdraw funding but, said Mrs Darnes, ‘so far we have not received a response from them’.

The building housing the main part of the Crewe refuge was purpose-built by Manchester and District Housing Association.

The housing association has now given CWA three months notice to vacate the buildings now it no longer has the contract.

Mrs Darnes said despite now needing new accommodation, CWA would continue as an independent charity to help women who greatly needed it.

“We have a very good treasurer which means we have funds in reserve to continue running the service but ultimately we need alternative funding,” she said.

In the meantime the trustees and staff are making plans to move the women and children in the Crewe refuge into alternative accommodation.

“We also have a support centre and move-on accommodation which is unaffected by the actions of Manchester and District HA as there are separate arrangements,” said Mrs Darnes.

“We’ll now be seeking alternative funding and are in the process of re-designing our website so supporters can make donations.”

Local organisations and businesses are also asked for support.

Mrs Darnes added: “We’re very disappointed by the way that Cheshire East has handled this issue. It does not say much for their understanding of localism or the Big Society.”

Cheshire East Council responds to criticism over failure to renew Crewe Women’s Aid contract

CHESHIRE East Council’s wellbeing services boss Phil Lloyd says battered women have nothing to fear from the switch in service providers.

He issued the following statement regarding the withdrawal of funding from Crewe Women’s Aid.

“Women victims of domestic abuse and their children will continue to be offered full support. The change is to the contract for the provider of the service – not its users.

“We are very appreciative of all the good work and achievements that have come from Crewe Women’s Aid (CWA) during its tenure of the contract and we appreciate its disappointment in not retaining its contract.

“However, we’re spending a large amount of taxpayer’s money and we have a duty to regularly go to tender to obtain the best and most appropriate service delivery at a reasonable cost. There is a set procedure for tendering that we have to follow.

“CWA was informed in December 2010 that they were not on the shortlist for the new contract.

“This decision affects the service provider and not the service users. Victims of domestic abuse will actually benefit from greater support under our ‘Supporting People’ programme contract with Arch North Staffs.

“This provider has extensive experience of delivering domestic abuse services to both women and men in Stoke and across North Staffordshire.

“The new contract increases the number of units of support to vulnerable adult victims of domestic abuse (including refuge places) from 38 under CWA to 55 – an increase of 44.7%.

“The number of emergency accommodation places remains at 10 and these will continue to be delivered in the existing refuge buildings. The greatly expanded floating support service will make the service available to more people across the south of the borough and, importantly, the service is extended to male victims for the first time.

“Figures from the British Crime Survey continue to indicate that one-in-six men (16%) aged 16-59 will suffer domestic abuse.

“Supporting victims of domestic abuse is an important priority for Cheshire East Council and forms part of our commitment to improve life opportunities and health for all residents. Research shows that effective intervention by all agencies is vital to making a difference to the lives of victims and their families.

“The recent tender process offered a timely opportunity to develop and expand the specialist support we provide to this extremely vulnerable group.

“Our focus will continue to be on early intervention, to halt the escalation of abuse and prevent an increase in cases of more serious abuse.

“Looking ahead, we’re looking forward to CWA continuing to be an active member of the Cheshire East Domestic Abuse partnership and are pleased that CWA will continue to deliver services on a charitable basis.”